Between firefighting and firewalls

It all started one summer evening in Roth, Middle Franconia, at a fire brigade barbecue. A vegan woman between bratwursts and beer benches - that didn't go without comment. "I was teased a bit at first," she says and smiles. Today she has long since arrived. What has kept her here is something you can't plan: "the team spirit".

Volkersdorfer grew up near Ansbach and is the first in her family to go to university. Her path initially took her in a different direction from secondary school via the FOS, specialising in nutrition: nutritional counselling and nutrition management - an area in which she can provide people with concrete support. "That was always important to me."

At the same time, she developed an enthusiasm for numbers, logic, and technology while still at school. "I wanted to understand how to tell a machine what to do." Alongside her interest in nutrition, her fascination with analytical and structured thinking also grew.

When it came to choosing a degree programme, this is exactly what became decisive: the desire to systematically solve complex problems and a curiosity for technical interrelationships. That's why Volkersdorfer decides in favour of Computer Science. The "technical" in the name, the clear practical relevance - it immediately felt right at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt. She already knew during her bachelor's degree: This is her path.

She specialises in IT security and focuses on attack modelling - in other words, analysing systems from the perspective of potential attackers to better protect them. It's a change of perspective that suits her well. "I wouldn't describe myself as a typical hacker," she says, "but rather as someone who takes responsibility. It's important to me that people understand the risks - and that data doesn't fall into the wrong hands in the first place."

After gaining practical experience in Nuremberg and a very successful Master's Thesis, the next step follows: a doctorate with Professor Elif Bilge Kavun and Professor Hans-Joachim Hof. For Volkersdorfer, it is the opportunity to go deeper, to become an expert - and thus also to guide others.

The fact that "protecting" is not an abstract concept for her is also evident outside the university. At the hackathon organised by the Munich Volunteer Fire Brigade, she works together with emergency services, companies, and experts from various fields to develop solutions for disasters. How can the capacity of hospitals be visualised so that those responsible can make quick decisions about transporting large numbers of injured people? Or how can existing infrastructure be better utilised? One idea is to see buses not just as a means of transport, but as a mobile energy source, a heating or cooling station, a resource that can be used flexibly - supported by digital applications for coordination.

Volkersdorfer is working in areas that still tend to be male-dominated - both in IT and in the fire service. She doesn't bend over backwards for it. "I don't want to conform to a supposedly male domain, I want to be who I am - with all my facets," she says. She accepts the fact that this sometimes offends. At the same time, she wants to make visible what is going well and what can be learnt from it. "There are situations that intimidate me. But the courage pays off - I'm well received." What matters to her is the teamwork and the shared task.

Her career is not straightforward - but consistent. Volkersdorfer combines technology with responsibility and puts her aspirations into practice.